In 2003, Anna Faris was thrilled to have a role in her first “serious” film. The actress was known for comedy after starring in the first two Scary Movie films. After auditioning six months before, she learned she had won the role of Kelly in Sofia Coppola‘s semi-autobiographical film, Lost in Translation.
“I got the role, I think, last minute,” she told Josh Horowitz on his Happy Sad Confused podcast. “They were in Japan shooting, they were already shooting.”
After telling him that she’d heard that Coppola had “offered the role to Naomi Watts” first, she addressed a rumor that she’d never been able to shake: that she’d based her performance on Cameron Diaz.
The Rumor She Couldn’t Shake
The speculation made sense, as the Oscar-winning film was loosely based on Coppola and her ex-husband, Spike Jonze. A few years earlier, Jonze had directed Being John Malkovich, which starred Diaz.
As Faris portrayed her as a loud, shallow blond actress whom her husband, John, had recently worked with, many assumed Kelly was really Diaz. The question was so persistent that even Coppola addressed it in 2023, telling Rolling Stone that “It really wasn’t based on her. It was a combination of a bunch of people. It was a type, so it wasn’t a diss on her.”
Setting the Record Straight
Now, Faris is also attempting to set the record straight, insisting she wasn’t trying to parody Diaz, and she’s found the persistent gossip frustrating.
“Can I tell you, I was always a little annoyed with that accusation?” Faris said. “Yeah, because it felt like it took a little something away from my flavor. And because I had auditioned for it, and earned it as that performance, I always felt like, no, I’m not part of some grand weird sabotage.”
A Regretted Encounter
Years later, a perfect opportunity for closure presented itself, yet the weight of the past proved difficult to shake. Diaz came on Faris’s Unqualified podcast in 2023 to talk about her new wine company, Avaline. She considered bringing it up, but ultimately decided against it. It was a decision that a part of her regretted.
“I only had 25 minutes with her, I didn’t know if I should launch immediately into, like, I’m really sorry that I wasn’t doing that,” Faris said. “Anyway, I don’t know if I handled it well.”